


Dreaming Alone - Before the Pain

by Tory (Ejes)



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Friendship, Hate, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 12:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14044476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ejes/pseuds/Tory
Summary: Before they were a thing, before they were no more, they weren't yet. They met, and truth was, they didn't like each other much. He was her best friend's brother. She was his twin's stupid friend. They had nothing in common. So how did it all start?





	Dreaming Alone - Before the Pain

**Author's Note:**

> This is a [ Dreaming Alone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755453) prequel. I'd advise you to read it first, although it's not mandatory.

It all began on a Saturday. That was a useless information, but somehow Vanitas couldn't forget it. The day he met her.

He was in his room, playing video games, when he heard some unknown voices in the house. Curious, he decided that he needed a break and would get something to drink in the kitchen.

There were two people he didn't know chatting with Ventus in the living room. Vanitas's reflex was to flee - he had checked they weren't burglars or anything so he didn't care much anymore - but Ventus had seen him.

"Hey, Vanitas, come over here!"

With a sigh, he _came over here_.

"Guys, let me introduce you my little brother, Vanitas."

The two strangers - a buff boy and a girl with weird blue hair - smiled at him.

"Your little brother? He doesn't look that much younger." Noted the girl, and it pissed Vanitas that she would use third person to talk about him while he was there.

"We're twins, so there's no big brother or little brother." He snarled. "If anything, you are acting much more as a kid than I am, Ventus."

Ventus laughed. "As you can see, I got the sense of humour, and he got… What did you get?"

"The good looks?" Vanitas suggested, and he noted the girl hid a smile.

"Anyway. Vanitas, these are my friends, Terra and Aqua."

Vanitas stared at both of them. "These are both girls names. Who's Terra and who's Aqua?"

The boy's face flushed with anger (annoyance, perhaps), while the girl laughed and put her hand on the boy's arm.

"Now, now, I'm sure he's just teasing you. I'm Aqua, and that's Terra. Nice to meet you, Vanitas."

Vanitas decided he didn't like them. The girl - Aqua - had a pretty face, but she sounded so sweet and kind it made him sick. The boy - Terra - just looked dumb.

"Yeah. I'm studying in my room, so make sure not to make too much noise." He lied before leaving. He hoped the idea of having to stay silent would make them go away. He didn't like having strangers in his house.

"Excuse him." He heard Ven tell his friends. "He's not really into... people."

"It's okay. He reminds me of Terra when he was younger, kind of grumpy. Oh, come on, Terra, don't tell me you're angry." Her laugh echoed all the way to his room, soon followed by Terra's and Ven's, and he smirked.

No wonder they were Ven's friends - his brother always had a thing for idiots who'd laugh for any reason.

Vanitas unpaused his game. He had lost interest in his brother's friends already.

* * *

They would often come over, and Vanitas avoided them as much as he could. He had made pretty clear he really disliked them and they made it clear it was mutual. Well, Terra did, at least. He was so easy to tease that anytime they'd meet, Vanitas would make fun of him and watch his face go red with anger and ball his fists. Aqua never lost her polite smile, but she had given up on the idea of trying to have an actual conversation with him. He didn't dislike her as much as he disliked Terra, but he still wanted to slap her anytime she'd smile at him.

So when did it all started to change?

Was it at Ventus's sixteenth birthday, when she brought a present for him too - the official guide of one of his favourite games ? Was it that day she politely - but firmly - told his father that he shouldn't worry as much about grades, but rather care about his son's happiness, after she witnessed a father and son's argument, while Ventus was helplessly trying to calm them down? Was it the day she found him completely drunk in a bar after he'd run away from home, and took him to her place until he'd sober up? He didn't know. At first he hated her for her desperate attempts to _save him_ , as if he needed salvation. But she never told anyone about it. She kept secret the few times she'd see him fighting, or drinking, either walking away if he looked okay or treating his wounds if he was in a bad shape.

It wasn't even that she helped him because he was Ventus's brother. Or because she liked him. He could see how much she disapproved that he liked violence and alcohol. It was just because it would be against her nature not to help someone. At first he hated her for that. Until he'd realise one day that _hate_ wasn't the name given to that feeling.

* * *

"Oh, hi Vanitas. Is Ventus there? He wanted me to pick him up to go shopping."

"He's out with our mother. They should be back soon."

"Oh, I see…"

She was standing there, at the door. He hesitated for a moment. What was he supposed to do?

"I guess… I'll wait in the car, then."

"No. Wait. Come in." He let her in and guided her to the living room, where she sat on the couch. He was terrible at hospitality. He never invited anyone in before.

"Do you… Want something to drink?"

"A glass of water would be nice, thanks."

He nodded, glad to have something to keep him busy. He took all his time to get her drink - staying with her was going to be awkward. What should they talk about? Should they even talk? He didn't like the idea of leaving someone in the living room alone and go back to his room. He prayed Ven would be back soon.

"Here. Water."

"Thank you."

An awkward silence set in. He could see she was taking her time drinking, just as much as he took filling the glass. They obviously had nothing to say.

"So, shopping, uh?" He finally broke the silence, and he noticed she let out a relieved sigh.

"Yes. It's Terra's birthday next week, and Ventus wanted my help picking a present."

"What are you getting him?" Vanitas really couldn't imagine what kind of things Terra liked.

"I found him a nice leather wristband." Her eyes were suddenly sparkling. "I hope he'll like it."

Vanitas didn't answer. It was obvious how happy she was with Terra. The perfect little couple. The soulmates. That was how everyone called them. His mother kept on telling her sons how good Terra and Aqua looked together, how happy she would be if her sons could find their perfect significant other the way Ventus's friends had found each other.

Vanitas couldn't decently tell her that he was starting to have a girl in mind, but that she was someone else's already.

Ventus finally came back home, and Aqua left with him. Just before leaving, she turned back to Vanitas.

"We're going to the theatre next week. If you'd like, why don't you come with us?"

He didn't go, because spending an evening with the lovebirds would make him sick, but her words went straight to his heart.

* * *

"Hey. Can I lie there?"

Ventus's voice startled Vanitas. He was at his desk, headphones on (although the music was low enough to hear Ven), writing an essay for his English class. Any distraction from boring school work was more than welcome.

"Sure."

Ven threw himself into Vanitas's bed, hugging his pillow with a sad face. Vanitas sighed and turned around.

"Spit it out."

"I don't want to bother you."

"So leave my room?"

"But I need some company."

"The price to stay is to tell me what's going on."

Ven buried his face into the pillow. Vanitas glared at him, but turned back to his essay about a stupid book he didn't read.

"Do you believe in soulmates?"

Now that was a first. Although Ven had dated a few girls in his life (two, if Vanitas recalled correctly - he didn't really care much), he never came to speak of it with his brother.

"What's that, did you find yours?"

"That's not what I meant." Ven blushed at the teasing, but was looking pretty serious. "It's just that… I've always believed that some people in the world are meant to be together. Just by looking at them, you know that there is no better match for them. But now… Now I'm not so sure."

Vanitas rolled his eyes. "Stop being cryptic. If you're going to use words, use the right ones. Straight forward."

"It's Terra and Aqua." Vanitas did his best to hide his interest. "They're… They are fighting a lot, lately. Most of the time, we can't spend a day together before one of them gets angry and leaves." His voice was trembling, and Vanitas could see he was on the verge of crying.

"Hey, sleepy head, cheer up. Mom and Dad fight too sometimes. And yet they've been married for twenty years."

Ven sniffed. "I know. I'm just really worried. What if they get so mad at each other they would stop being together? Stop being friends? Where should I stand in that? I can't choose between them!"

"I'm sure they wouldn't ask you to. But I can also hardly think of any reason they would fight. I mean, I can find _plenty_ of reasons I'd fight with any of them, whether it's about Aqua's gullibility or Terra's… everything about him, really, but they've known each other forever, right? Surely they knew all of that?"

Ventus curled into a ball.

"Aqua works in a rehabilitation center as a volunteer."

"Yeah, heard about that."

Truth was, Vanitas had dropped out of school the year before. After three months of thinking about giving up everything, and even some darker thoughts on darker days, he finally had found the courage to step into that rehab center. He had the surprise to see Aqua there. They just talked for at least two hours about what reasons got him out of school, about issues he'd like to discuss. She had promised it would be anonymous. A week later, he was back at school, and this was never mentioned again. He didn't even thank her for that, now that he thought about it.

"Well, Terra blames her for putting that job before anything else. Her phone can ring at any time, day or night, because one of the people she's taking care of needs help, is in a bad situation. Sometimes, some of the guys she helps are creeps. Terra would like her not to get herself that much involved."

"Makes sense, in a way. I hate the guy, but he just wants to protect her, I guess?"

"And Aqua… She's angry that Terra takes everything as a competition, always. He can't stand being second in something. And he worries so much about Aqua, and about me sometimes, that he forgets the fun in things. He pushes himself and the others to their best, even if that means giving up on fun."

"That sounds… Pretty Terra-ish."

Ventus didn't answer. When Vanitas looked at him, he saw his brother was crying. He sighed - he wasn't good at that.

"Hey. It's okay. No matter what happens between them, I'm sure it won't change a thing for you. You won't lose them or anything, okay? They will still be there. I'm sure they won't break up, anyway. They've always been together, right?"

Ventus nodded sadly.

"Do you think I can sleep here tonight?"

"What, are you a baby or something?" But Ventus's sad face was something it was hard to resist, even for someone like Vanitas. "Fine. But tonight only."

Ven gave him a sad smile and lied down, immobile. Soon enough, he was peacefully snoring.

Vanitas finished his essay and stretched, before finally going to bed.

"Move, bastard, you're taking the whole bed." Ventus, deep asleep, didn't react, and Vanitas pushed him violently. Ven didn't wake up. Vanitas lied down, closing his eyes, trying to stop his selfish thoughts about Aqua becoming potentially single. Free. That was stupid. They had never been really close. She only thought of him as one of the many people she helped. A faceless person. Her best friend's brother. He would never stand a chance.

Never.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, the news came in. Ventus was pale as death, devastated.

"They broke up."

Vanitas was making himself some coffee - the fourth sugar cube fell into the cup and splashed coffee everywhere.

"They did?"

"Yeah. Terra told me it was a common decision. That they needed a break. That they would still be friends, that the three of us would still stay together. But it's going to be awkward, isn't it?"

Vanitas shrugged and ruffled his twin brother's blonde hair. "Perhaps it's your role to make things not awkward, midget."

Ventus sighed. "I guess so. I can't believe it, though. To think that they… I mean, they've been dating for two years now. _Had been_ , I guess."

Vanitas gently nudged his brother. "They'll live through it. And you will too."

His cup in hand, he left Ventus to go back to his room. And to hide how much the cup was shaking in his hand.

* * *

"Going somewhere?"

His mother caught him as he was leaving the house. It was the middle of the afternoon. It was a rare sight to see him leave before nightfall - but he needed some fresh air. He spent the whole day before thinking about what Ventus told him. About thinking of how Aqua was single now. And hating himself for these thoughts. He couldn't get her out of his head and he hated it.

"Yeah, meeting up with some friends."

She probably knew it was lie, but she didn't ask. What he was doing of his days was a question everyone avoided. Mostly because he'd either not go out, or go out and come back reeking of alcohol. Even now, he was considering getting himself a drink - that would help him forget, even if not for long. Make these stupid voices shut up.

He escaped the house and took the bus to the town centre.

He aimlessly wandered through the streets, letting the voices of the people around him cover the ones in his mind.

Until he saw _her_. She was sitting on a bench, staring into space. She probably didn't sleep much, as the dark circles under her eyes seemed to indicate. She looked lost. Fragile. And so alone.

The voices shut up. Suddenly, it didn't matter. He wanted to go talk to her. Not because she was single and that was an opportunity. He didn't care. He didn't want to flirt. He didn't want her to see him the way he saw her.

All he wanted was to be here for her, because she had always been there for his on his darkest hours.

* * *

"Uh-oh. Someone looks like she needs a drink."

He startled her. She turned her empty, and yet still so pretty eyes to him.

"Leave me alone, Vanitas. I don't need the company of someone who believes alcohol is always the solution."

He laughed, surprised by her attack. She wasn't exactly wrong, though.

"Nah, there's violence too." He joked. She didn't answer, looking completely off. He sat next to her.

"Seriously, though. Let me just buy you a drink. It doesn't even have to be alcohol, you know. But you look like you're about to jump off a bridge, so allow me to stay and make sure you don't."

"I don't know… I just want some peace." She sighed, her sad eyes reminding him of Ven's. Usually, when Ven asked to be left alone, it meant he needed company. Vanitas hoped she worked the same way.

"Good, peace is my second name! Oh, was that the beginning of a smile?" As soon as he told it, she did her best to erase it, but the corners of her mouth were still twitching. She frowned, but her eyes betrayed she wasn't really angry.

"No matter what I say, you won't leave, will you?"

"It's not that easy to get rid of me. Just see me as the Queen's jester for the day. I won't leave until I hear a laugh from you."

He smirked and softly punched her shoulder. He ignored the feeling as his skin touched hers.

"Good luck with that, considering Terra and I just broke up." Her voice quivered. Quick, he should think of something before she'd start crying.

"Have no worries, Try Hard is my second name!"

"Wasn't it Peace?"

"I have plenty. Mom has always been pretty indecise."

"You're stupid." She laughed, a melodious sound that he instantly decided he wanted to hear more often.

"Perhaps, but you laughed."

"Does that mean your job is already over?" Was it concern in her eyes? Could it be she feared he'd leave her alone? Or was it that stupid hope in his mind talking?

"Not if you want me to stay."

"Then stay."

Her blue eyes captured his own, and he suddenly couldn't look anywhere else. He smiled, ignoring the butterflies in his stomach.

And he stayed.

**Author's Note:**

> This is how it all started... Be sure to read[ Dreaming Alone](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13755453) to find out how the story goes!


End file.
